Mini Doors and Shoji Screens Hide Ugly Power Outlets

By S.A. Rogers

Tiny shoji screens mounted above the baseboards on the wall seem like they could lead to miniature residences, perhaps for mice. But what they’re really for is the clever disguise of power outlets. Designer Tori Sugimura crafts little wooden boxes that mount around an existing outlet, hiding it when it’s not in use.

Using traditional woodworking methods on a miniature scale, Sugimura hand-cuts lap joints into tiny pieces of wood. The artist slices out tiny details that are only noticeable if you get on your hands and knees to take a closer look, like little moons and birds in the rice paper of the screens.

Others feature cut-outs of shapes in white paper, revealing the wood beneath, as well as tiny door handles. For those with more Western sensibilities, there’s an arched door with a silver handle. The shoji screen design is available at Tori Craft (in Japanese.)